Caste certificate of MLA missing from DC office
2 Oct, 2012Reply to an application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has shown that documents relating to the caste certificate of MLA Chandan Sarkar of Abhayapuri South LAC in the district, were found missing from the confidential branch of Bongaigaon DC office.
It was alleged that in February 1996, the then SDO of North Salmara subdivision in the district informed the DC office about alleged forged caste certificate submitted by MLA Chandan Sarkar. As the Abhayapuri South was a reserved constituency for Scheduled Caste, an enquiry was done to verify the caste certificate submitted by Sarkar. It has been claimed by an activist that the matter was hushed up.
In August 2012, copies of caste certificates submitted by the MLA Sarkar between the year 1996 and 2003 were demanded under the RTI Act from Bongaigaon DC office. The DC Office informed the applicant that the copies of caste certificate were not available in the office as the particular file was found missing from the office.
Such ‘missing’ documents have raised the demand for strict action against the holders of information as it is one of the easiest excuses for missing information. It has also raised the demand for reconstructing the file.